Report: Migration to Windows 7 "Inevitable"

While you contemplate whether or not it's worth upgrading your work PC to Windows 7 or trashing the old hardware for something new, one thing's for sure - moving to Windows 7 will be "all but inevitable," according to a report from market research firm Gartner.

"The Windows 7 release will generate renewed interest in consumers and small businesses following its release, but corporate demand is not expected to gain momentum until the end of 2010," said Charles Smulders, managing VP at Gartner. "An overdue PC hardware upgrade cycle and the economic environment will be as equally important as Windows 7 in determining final demand in 2010."

Before taking the plunge, Gartner senior analyst Michael Silver said corporations will have to consider five factors, including moving off of XP by the end of 2010, starting their migration projects now instead of later, they should avoid skipping Windows 7 to avoid the kinds of problems that plagued "organizations that skipped Windows 2000 and waited for XP," larger organizations should budget carefully and take note of the migration costs (as much as $1,930 per user to move from XP to Windows 7, and up to $510 to move up from Vista), and avoid waiting for Windows 7 SP1 before making the jump.